Iwill KK266 VIA KT133A socket A

Friday, April 20, 2001


Introduction

It's been awhile since we last reviewed a product from Iwill, so it's with some pleasure that we present our latest review of the Iwill KK266. Based on the VIA KT133A chipset, the KK266 is the latest board we've received to fall into the category of Socket-A, RAID-equipped, KT133A-based enterprise-class motherboards. As such, it supports FSBs of both 100MHz and 133MHz, as well as ATA100 drives.

Let's take a look, shall we?

Iwill KK266 Hadrware Characteristics
CPU
Supports Socket A for AMD Athlon and Duron Processors. Supports Athlon Processors from 700 MHz to 1.2 GHz and Higher. Supports Duron Processors from 600 MHz to 800 MHz and Higher.
Chipset
VIA KT133A - VT8363A/VT82C686B
Form factor
ATX - 30.5cm X 24cm
Expansion
6 PCI - 1 ISA - 0 AMR - 1 AGP
Memory
3X 168-pin DIMM 1.5Gb SDRAM PC100 - PC133 - VCM
FSB
100Mhz ˆ 166Mhz in 1Mhz increment
Vcore adj.
1.525 ˆ 1.85 in steps of 0.025v
Vio adj.
3.v, +5%, +10%
Audio
C-Media¨ CMI-87383D


Configuration

As is usually the case with KT133A boards, the KK266's FSB can be configured through the use of jumpers, but the majority of settings are accessed through the BIOS.

Among the jumpers that do inhabit the KK266, the "FSB" jumper serves to force the FSB to either 100MHz or 133MHz. Please note that the setting of this jumper has a direct affect on the FSB selection presented within the BIOS. If the jumper is set for 100MHz, for instance, the BIOS will present a choice of frequencies ranging from 100MHz to 133MHz. If the jumper is set for 133MHz, however, available frequencies range from 133MHa, to 166MHz.

Jumper JP10, for its part, can be used to set the CPU's Vio voltage. Unfortunately, this functionality is not reproduced within the BIOS.

To access the FSB settings from within the BIOS, users must make their way to the Iwill Smart Settings menu.

Within the very same menu, enterprising tweakers will find the option to set the clock multiplier to anything from 5X to 12.5X.

The Vcore can also be adjusted, as according to the preceding table..

Within the "Advanced Chipset Features" menu, an option exists allowing the memory bus to be set to operate at either 100MHz or 133MHz, as well as a number of other options that will be familiar to experienced users.

Index:

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